PhD Students’ Mental Health and Well-Being: a Qualitative Study from Doctorates’ Perspective from Five Spanish Universities

The aim of this study was to explore doctoral students’ perceptions of how completing a doctoral thesis impacts their mental health and well-being, and the associated influencing factors. We conducted nine semi-structured interviews with PhD students from five Spanish universities in 2022 and analyzed them using qualitative content analysis. Participants reported experiencing mental health problems, which in some cases were perceived to lead to physical health problems. These problems were more frequent among PhD students without a pre-doctoral contract (i.e., without a funded research position). Support from supervisors and the research group, availability of free time and leisure time, future employment prospects, employment and working conditions and workload were factors that interviewees perceived as having an impact on mental health and well-being throughout the process of completing a PhD. Results highlight the need for institutional interventions to improve employment and working conditions for PhD students.